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Where Is Curious George?: A Whimsical Search for Everyone's Favorite Curious Monkey
Join Curious George as he snoops around a wide variety of houses and homes. Twelve full-to-bursting spreads represent home interiors from lighthouses to castles. Jaunty rhymes introduce each inviting scene and list the objects readers can “Find the candle, find the sword, / Knight’s strong shield, orange gourd. / Ruby in the golden crown. / Look for monkey, up and down. / Where is George?” For more monkey fun, investigate www.curiousgeorge.com and discover all the latest on Curious George, books, promotions, games, activities, and more.
32 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 12, 2013
5 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
H.A. Rey
586 books209 followersHans Augusto Rey was born on September 16, 1898, in Hamburg, Germany. He grew up there near the world-famous Hagenbeck Zoo, and developed a lifelong love for animals and drawing. Margarete Elisabeth Waldstein (who would be known to most of the world as Margret Rey) was also born in Hamburg on May 16, 1906. The two met briefly when Margret was a young girl, before she left Hamburg to study art. They were reunited in 1935 in Rio de Janeiro, where Hans was selling bathtubs as part of a family business and Margret was escaping the political climate in Germany. Margret convinced Hans to leave the family business, and soon they were working together on a variety of projects.
Hans and Margret were married in Brazil on August 16, 1935, and they moved to Paris after falling in love with the city during their European honeymoon. It was there that Hans published his first children’s book, after a French publisher saw his newspaper cartoons of a giraffe and asked him to expand upon them. Raffy and the Nine Monkeys (Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys in the British and American editions) was the result, and it marked the debut of a mischievous monkey named Curious George.
After Raffy and the Nine Monkeys was published, the Reys decided that Curious George deserved a book of his own, so they began work on a manuscript that featured the lovable and exceedingly curious little monkey. But the late 1930s and early ’40s were a tumultuous time in Europe, and before the new manuscript could be published, the Reys—both German Jews—found themselves in a horrible situation. Hitler and his Nazi party were tearing through Europe, and they were poised to take control of Paris.
Knowing that they must escape before the Nazis took power, Hans cobbled together two bicycles out of spare parts. Early in the morning of June 14, 1940, the Reys set off on their bicycles. They brought very little with them on their predawn flight — only warm coats, a bit of food, and five manuscripts, one of which was Curious George. The Nazis entered Paris just hours later, but the Reys were already on their way out. They rode their makeshift bicycles for four long days until reaching the French-Spanish border, where they sold them for train fare to Lisbon. From there they made their way to Brazil and on to New York City, beginning a whole new life as children’s book authors.
Curious George was published by Houghton Mifflin in 1941, and for sixty years these books have been capturing the hearts and minds of readers throughout the world. All the Curious George books, including the seven original stories by Margret and Hans, have sold more than twenty-five million copies. So popular that his original story has never been out of print, George has become one of the most beloved and recognizable characters in children’s literature. His adventures have been translated into many languages, including Japanese, French, Afrikaans, Portuguese, Swedish, German, Chinese, Danish, and Norwegian.
Although both of the Reys have passed away — Hans in 1977 and Margret in 1996—George lives on in the Curious George Foundation. Established in 1989, this foundation funds programs for children that share Curious George’s irresistible qualities—ingenuity, opportunity, determination, and curiosity in learning and exploring. Much consideration is given to programs that benefit animals, through preservation as well as the prevention of cruelty to animals. The foundation supports community outreach programs that emphasize the importance of family, from counseling to peer support groups.
Hans and Margret were married in Brazil on August 16, 1935, and they moved to Paris after falling in love with the city during their European honeymoon. It was there that Hans published his first children’s book, after a French publisher saw his newspaper cartoons of a giraffe and asked him to expand upon them. Raffy and the Nine Monkeys (Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys in the British and American editions) was the result, and it marked the debut of a mischievous monkey named Curious George.
After Raffy and the Nine Monkeys was published, the Reys decided that Curious George deserved a book of his own, so they began work on a manuscript that featured the lovable and exceedingly curious little monkey. But the late 1930s and early ’40s were a tumultuous time in Europe, and before the new manuscript could be published, the Reys—both German Jews—found themselves in a horrible situation. Hitler and his Nazi party were tearing through Europe, and they were poised to take control of Paris.
Knowing that they must escape before the Nazis took power, Hans cobbled together two bicycles out of spare parts. Early in the morning of June 14, 1940, the Reys set off on their bicycles. They brought very little with them on their predawn flight — only warm coats, a bit of food, and five manuscripts, one of which was Curious George. The Nazis entered Paris just hours later, but the Reys were already on their way out. They rode their makeshift bicycles for four long days until reaching the French-Spanish border, where they sold them for train fare to Lisbon. From there they made their way to Brazil and on to New York City, beginning a whole new life as children’s book authors.
Curious George was published by Houghton Mifflin in 1941, and for sixty years these books have been capturing the hearts and minds of readers throughout the world. All the Curious George books, including the seven original stories by Margret and Hans, have sold more than twenty-five million copies. So popular that his original story has never been out of print, George has become one of the most beloved and recognizable characters in children’s literature. His adventures have been translated into many languages, including Japanese, French, Afrikaans, Portuguese, Swedish, German, Chinese, Danish, and Norwegian.
Although both of the Reys have passed away — Hans in 1977 and Margret in 1996—George lives on in the Curious George Foundation. Established in 1989, this foundation funds programs for children that share Curious George’s irresistible qualities—ingenuity, opportunity, determination, and curiosity in learning and exploring. Much consideration is given to programs that benefit animals, through preservation as well as the prevention of cruelty to animals. The foundation supports community outreach programs that emphasize the importance of family, from counseling to peer support groups.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 17, 2020
I Spy book that's good for kids ages 3-5. My 3-year-old was tired of searching about 2/3 of the way through the book, though. Sweet pictures of a fun day on the town for Curious George. I appreciated that the book was a blend of old-fashioned (outfits, excursions like an ice cream parlor) and modern (people from diverse racial background.) I wasn't a fan of the old-fashioned zoo scene, though, with animals living alone in tiny cages.
July 15, 2024
My 22 month old is still a little bit young for this book, but he also still enjoys the poems and looking for George on every page and looking for other items that he already knows. It's also great as a parent because I asked him what's this, or what's that, so it helps him recognize more objects as well. I think it has helped expand his vocabulary, but I think it will be more enjoyable once he's a little bit older.
January 30, 2021
I loved this! I could have done without the look and find format, but the book stands with or without it. The pictures are adorable, the pages sturdy, and there are a diverse group of homes depicted. I could daydream about the lighthouse!
August 17, 2019
Good first seek and find
August 9, 2021
Elliot loves both Curious George and Look-and-Find books, so this was obviously a winner!!
May 21, 2023
My 2 year olds very first search and find and he rocked it!
January 18, 2014
I liked this book okay. The drawings were enough in the style of H.A. Rey that George was recognizable, though some of the images of him looked blurry to me.
I liked the rhyming text, too. The amount of text surprised me, though. I wasn't expecting quite so much of it given that the pages of this book were thicker than normal.
The look and find portion was fun. The items were all easily found by me; I think young children might have a little bit more difficulty since there are a lot of things in each scene. However, I also think kids would have fun searching for the items, and I can imagine cheers of delight when they locate George in each scene. :)
I liked the rhyming text, too. The amount of text surprised me, though. I wasn't expecting quite so much of it given that the pages of this book were thicker than normal.
The look and find portion was fun. The items were all easily found by me; I think young children might have a little bit more difficulty since there are a lot of things in each scene. However, I also think kids would have fun searching for the items, and I can imagine cheers of delight when they locate George in each scene. :)
September 7, 2014
I read this with my 5 year old niece. She absolutely loved it. In fact I've had to get it multiple times from work. It kept her attention and she was able to find the items. Of course every time we read it she was able to find them with less and less help. I finally started adding items that she was supposed to find just to make it more challenging. It is also great because you can read 1 page or the entire book depending on attention span and available time. I've since recommended it to many parents at my local library.
Also this book is much easier than the I Spy series for kids just starting to search for hidden objects.
Also this book is much easier than the I Spy series for kids just starting to search for hidden objects.
May 19, 2015
Curious George is on a jaunty escapade all through town. He visits the playground, library, Farmer's Market, toy store and other places of interest. Each venue is filled with people, animals and objects. Rhyming couplets describe the action in each scene and then readers are asked to locate objects in each setting, always ending with “Where is George”. The book is ideal for language development and sharing. There is much to discover and discuss in each spread. The vibrant colors are enticing and the durable card stock pages should hold up for years of enjoyment or numerous library circulations. The curious monkey is a perennial favorite in all libraries.
December 9, 2015
An engaging search and find book featuring Curious George. Each double spread page is paired with a short rhyme that introduces the reader to various locations - a playground, a school room, a firehouse, a farmer's market, a toy store, the zoo, an ice cream parlor, an animal shelter, the library(!), a baseball field, a movie theater, and finally George's bedroom - and provides a list of objects to find within the picture. The pages are thick and sturdy - perfect for little hands and curious preschool minds.
March 2, 2013
An I Spy book for preschoolers featuring Curious George. Rhyming text has a great read aloud rhythm and challenges readers to find additional items in a variety of locations (treehouse, lighthouse, camper etc).
Hidden items present a challenge, but not one that requires kids to stare at the pages for a lengthy amount of time to solve. Highly recommended!
Hidden items present a challenge, but not one that requires kids to stare at the pages for a lengthy amount of time to solve. Highly recommended!
September 19, 2013
Curious George snoops around a wide variety of houses and homes, from lighthouses to castles. Rhymes introduce each scene and list the objects readers can find. My 4 year old enjoyed it, I would say for grades PK-3. The colorful cardstock pages should hold up nicely and its interactive.
December 28, 2015
We have begun the era of "tell me what you see" and while this is an interesting exercise in expanding G's vocabulary I do wonder how a toddler in 2015 America is to be expected to identify, for example, a line drawing of an antique sewing machine.
G loves it, though.
G loves it, though.
August 16, 2013
The boys adore this book, purchased by Grandma Weezie. They were very hard on the flaps, though, so we have to keep it in the closet and bring it out only upon special request.
October 23, 2013
A look and find storybook featuring George. Nathan didn't have any trouble finding the items but he really enjoyed this one.
April 19, 2014
Remember those "I Spy" books we loved when we were kids? Here is a great beginner version to share with your kids featuring the much loved Curious George!
August 5, 2014
an easy look and find book for young Curious George fans!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews